SPEEDBEAD.

I think the quote on GMAN's signature line says it best.... ''Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."

Basser....I'm still waiting for an invite to some of the MD waters : LOL

Ronnie, I'm down to help. Let me know what is needed!!!!!!!

See....Like I said, just be cognizant of the laws. Just because a law enforcement officer doesnt say something to you one time, they may arrest/fine you the next.

LOL, I thought the same thing!!!!!! I sent that link to my parents yesterday as they have been looking to possibly move to Florida as they retire.

It wont let me search unless I register. That is something I would like to see though. There is a tutorial on how to post pics on this forum. If the pic is saved on your computer (which something that big ought to be), just click the "browse" button and it will allow you to attach your photo. Wayne

cont. EARLY SPRING / FEBRUARY MARCH Early spring on Lake Guntersville can begin in the first week of February. When the water temps get consistently above 45 degrees I declare early spring. Often during this time anglers are still targeting bass in deep water. Some people will be dragging microscopic plastics and jigs slower than a snail on a salt block in 20 feet of water on 4-lb line. Not surprisingly though, a lot of fish are already in 1 to 4 feet of water on a heavy pre-spawn feed during early spring. Early spring for me often means shallow super shallow. I look for shallow bays from mid-river and up, especially bays or creeks that get a lot of sun. The N banks of many bays catch the sun and are protected from the winds, and often I find active bass on the N banks of shallow bays. Pockets that have small creeks running into the back of them are prime areas, and I look for the duck grass. Well, I call it duck grass, the brown cattail like grass growing in the backs of pockets where there is spring or swamp water. These areas warm up fast, and have plenty of minnows, frogs, tadpoles and other food bass love during that time of year. Stumps are the primary cover during this time, and big fish looking for bedding grounds will be close to stumps in the pockets. This is the time of year I do beat the banks on Guntersville, and look for super shallow bass. My favorite search baits are a Cordell Spots, Bayou Boogies, Bomber Model-2 As and spinner-baits in light colors. For plastics I stick to a Texas-rigged 6 Riverside lizard most of the time. Even with water temps in the mid 40s, bass will be very active in these shallow water areas. I can't stress enough targeting shallow stumps this time of year. Shallow points are also good target areas, points around islands, protected shallow banks around islands, and anywhere bass will be looking for bedding grounds. Bass will bed in many of the up river shallow pockets as the water gets in the the upper 50s, and it doesn't take long for the shallow water to heat up during warm spells in mid-February through March. I don't over look the steeper banks during early spring periods. Many of the bass that are not already in the pockets or around spawning areas in the early spring season will be staged on the break-line. That magic break-line that goes from 4-5 feet and drops down quickly can be just that, magic. Fishing the break-line for pre-spawn bass with big spinner-baits, ½ to 3/4oz Cordell Super Spots, and the shallow crank-baits such as the Model-A or the Excaliber Shallow Fingerling series work great for big bass. Fire-tiger, baby-bass and bream colors are good choices for crank-baits this time of year. Fishing the break-line around humps and points, in the mouths of pockets or on the channel ledge itself is very productive for bass that are using the 3 to 7 foot range. Of course the standard 6 Texas-rigged lizard is always a good bet. A black and blue Riverside jig with a craw-bug trailer is also good for some big bites on shallow stump flats near a drop, on the edge of the river ledge around the old hydrilla lines. I stick with a 3/8oz jig probably 95% of the time. Points near deep water or creek channels are productive, and I don't over look steeper banks with docks or rip-rap when the shallow bite is tough during the early spring period. When water temperatures are changing and falling frequently, steeper banks with docks, rip-rap or other cover can be good. Red clay points with stumps are excellent places to search for staged bass. The bridges and causeways are always good targets when the shallow water bite is tough. Deep running crank-baits and jigs are my favorite baits on the steep banks, and I often do well on big spinner-baits and jigs. Suspending jerk-baits such as the Pro-Rogue are also very productive on the steeper drops during early spring when the water is clear. If bass are very inactive, and the water temps drop back into the low 40s during early spring, I resort back to the winter patterns and slow down the retrieve, or downsize a jig and work the steeper banks very slow. SPRING SPAWN TO LATE SPRING POST SPAWN / MARCH-LATE APRIL Spring spawn up to post spawn is one of the most productive times for both numbers of fish and big bass. I firmly believe that many bigger bass spawn first, and they will spawn in cooler water than many people know about. Generally, most of the grass has died out of the shallows during the winter, leaving the spawning grounds clear of most cover other than stumps, lay-downs and docks. I have seen bass and caught bass locked on bed in water temps as low as 57 degrees. We have a long spawn season, a true blessing here in the South, and bass will spawn in temps up to the low 70s, and up through the month of May if conditions stay right. Mid-March through mid-April seems to be the prime time for big bass to be active in the spawning grounds. Many bigger bass will also spawn a little further out than the smaller females, and big bass during the spring pre-spawn and spawn cycle really relate to stumps. However, many big fish do get shallow, and very shallow. Many people would be amazed to know how many big fish are caught by anglers in the know in 1.5 to 3 feet of water during the spring season. In late February through March, depending on the weather, the water temps get into the 50s, and the activity really begins. Everything seems to work in the shallows during this time. I've had great days on top-water baits when the water temps are in the mid to upper 50s, targeting very shallow stump flats or spawning areas during warmer days. Spinner-baits are very effective, and probably my two favorite baits this time of year are a 1/2oz Cordell Super Spot, and a Texas-rigged 6 lizard in watermelon seed color. Shallow pockets in the mid-river areas are prime areas for active bass to move into when the temps get into the 50s, and again I target those with small creeks running into them, and of course, stumps. Top-water baits can also be effective in the shallow stump flats anytime the water temps are over 50 degrees, with temps over 55 being the best starting point for top-water baits. I also target some of the ledges with crank-baits during this time of year. A Bomber Model-2A, or one of the Excaliber Shallow Fingerling series baits worked fast over the growing grass on the open water ledges is a strong tactic for staging bass on open water areas. A 3/4oz lipless crank-bait such as the Cordell Super Spot is one of my best tactics for big bass on ledges before the grass gets to tall, or when working the old hydrilla on the edge of the drops. The crank-baits, and often suspending jerk-baits such as a Rogue are also very productive on the edges of milfoil that is growing on the break-lines during this period of time. Generally the bite begins up river, and moves down over the days and weeks as the water warms. The upper end warms faster, and stays a little more stained than the lower end under normal conditions. I often find the upper end of Lake Guntersville can be as much as 4 weeks ahead of the low end during the spring season. As the big fish begin to drop their eggs, they move off the beds, but often they don't move far too fast. I find big post-spawn bass in the bedding grounds for several weeks after they spawn, taking advantage of the bream that are moving up to begin their spawn cycle.

Some more reading material for springtime at Guntersville: Seasonal Guide to Guntersville Bass By Troy Jens At just over 69,000 acres, and 65 miles from dam to dam, Lake Guntersville can be intimidating when trying to figure out patterns and locations for bass in what is considered to be among the finest bass fisheries in the Southeast. With miles of hydrilla and milfoil grass lines, humps, roadbeds, rip rap, ledges, boat docks, steep bluffs, shallow sloughs and about everything else that can be found in a dream bass lake, it's hard to know where to start. However, with a few key pieces of seasonal information, a little knowledge of break-lines and a good map, Guntersville gives up it's secrets, and it fishes primarily the same from season to season, year after year. Before I discuss seasonal tactics that work well for me, it would be worth discussing a little about how Guntersville bass relate to their constantly changing river environment. The primary obvious cover in Lake Guntersville is grass. As it is on all lakes, grass is a supplemental type of cover. It's very important to remember that bass continue to relate best to permanent types of structure and cover. Humps, creek channels, ledges, stumps, etc. are what bass use continually. Finding concentrations of bass, and especially bigger bass will mean looking for permanent cover and structure features other than just grass. Grass helps keep the population of food cycle organisms, bait-fish and bass growing, and it is great for keeping bass on shallow cover areas year around, but grass alone rarely holds consistent concentrations of bass. To find the best fishing areas in any grass lake, it's best to look at the map and pretend the grass is not there, looking for bass in areas they would normally be without grass. CURRENT Current is a big factor on Lake Guntersville. While bass can be caught during periods when current is not running, generally current helps the bite, especially during the daytime hours. Current positions bass on the ledges and open water humps. One of my long standing theories is that when current is present, bass have to swim, they expend energy and may as well feed at the same time. During slack water periods bait-fish are scattered, and bass can rest easily, making them less likely to chase a bait. When there is no current, I target the sloughs, as most of the sloughs and protected areas are mostly void of current, and these fish are less current dependent. During hours when power is generated through the dams, I focus on ledges and open water humps where the bass may be more active due to the current flow. When current is running, many people believe it is best to fish a bait with the current, as the bass are facing into the current. I find this not to be true much of the time. I'll also note that anytime I've ever seen a bait-fish swim in current, it is swimming up into the flow, and fishing baits in the same manner tend to look natural to the bass. On the ledges during current flow, I have success fishing against the current and across the current, as well as with the current. I normally find bass positioned on the down river side of humps, or just inside cuts in the grass lines where there is any current break. Even small current breaks can produce big catches, so paying close attention to how the current is flowing around cover is important when fishing during generation hours. The back side of the ledges, or shallow side just over from the lip of the main ledge itself also has less current, and is often more productive than the steep side of the ledge during slack water times. BREAKLINES Lake Guntersville is all about getting away from the bank. Much of the good fishing and many of the best slopes to fish are many yards off the shore. Break-lines may be the most important aspect when learning to fish Lake Guntersville. The drops seem to have a consistent magic number formula. Anywhere that drops from 4 to 8 feet within the distance of a long cast is a good break-line. Usually this is the first break-line off the bank. The flats often run off the banks from 0 to 4 feet, then drop off quickly from 4 to 8 feet. I've found many bass on Guntersville just keeping the boat in 7 to 8 feet of water, and throwing onto the shallower flat. This varies from season to season, but much of the time bass use this 4 to 7 feet range on lake Guntersville, and keeping the boat just at the edge of this range, working the 4 to 7 foot areas has been very productive for me throughout the year. Finding productive break-lines off of the flats is easy so long as you have a map. I strongly recommend the Atlantic maps, as the colorized contour lines make finding the shallow flats easy. Look for the dark blue or shallowest points, humps and flats, and fish the edge where they begin to drop off into the deeper water. Again, very often if the bass are not right on the edge, sitting on the break-line, they will be right on top of the points or humps. Many bass live on top of these structure features from spawn through late fall, and can be caught in the thick grass mats that cover them during the warmer months.

Just can't resist, can ya? LOL

Only time I have had it happen wasnt with bass. Back in the day, I used to fly fish for trout almost every day. Typically, I would be fishing three flies on a dropper leader and one day I hooked two of the buggers at once. I almost fell in the water laughing at these two fish swimming in opposite directions w/ my leader in between them. Wayne

RW, Can you provide a link where the Avids are on sale for that? Local GM will match the price if I can show them!!!!!! Thanks, Wayne

Got any Basstrix for sale? LOL Welcome back!!!

If you unplug a light while it is still on, where does the electricity go that is in the cord?

As I become bored w/ work, I will try and find articles/info regarding the lake and any other pertinent information I can locate. Here is one I enjoyed..... http://www.jimporter.org/lakes/guntersville/ Wayne

I am a big Stillers fan, and I think they have a chance. It will be easy to gauge their chances in a couple weeks against New England. I will be more willing to lend a definite opinion at that time. Wayne

Thanks for the info, Great job!!!!!!!!!

Like I said in the previous post....When he foots the bill, Ill be on all the video you want LOL

Did anyone actually try the link?

Cool idea, but I was thinking a coon tail..........Hey, where should I put the fuzzy dice? 8-) I know you are getting up there in age, but dont you still have a pair of them? ;D Wayne

Nice fish. Sorry to sound like a pain, but that technique is also called "chumming" and this isnt Europe. It is illegal in many places. You may want to check your laws before someone w/ a badge sees you doing it. Wayne

haha, Let's get Robert to pay for us!!!!!!! Great to see you made it home, cant wait to see the pics!!!! Wayne

Agreed...."Officer, I swear, that thing was charging me and I feared for my life......Can I get it mounted?" LOL

This is for the other side : ;D http://www.bagbalm.com/

They actually market this to the motorcycle crowd a good bit. LOL Have heard of it and seen it, no personal product use experience though 8-)

See, I believe she was given the HBP meds after the Imitrex due to her having the side effects. She is not currently on the HBP meds to control it in and of itself. I appreciate all the info, that is a good read and should be valuable for her to see and use as a self assessment. Wayne Also, sorry about the back and forth Cart. Hopefully some of that info will be pertinent to your case as well.